The season of gifting is upon us my friends and if you are anything like me, you are secretly crying. Crying because you didn’t grow up matching people with their perfect gift. Crying because you have no knack for it. Crying because you are an Indian of a certain age who was raised with the simple idea that all the best gifts in the world share a single name – Money.
It’s true. I never saw my parents (or other adults in my life) running around buying things for us or anyone. They just gave an envelope of money. A practice that continues to this day, except that the cash has been replaced with checks because it’s even more easy than money which may requires a stop at an ATM.
I digress. The point of this post is in fact to give you a gift suggestion that isn’t money because money in an envelope is frowned upon by most. And I get it, it’s nice to give a nicely wrapped present that not only says that you spent your money, but also your time and energy in making a perfect match of the gift and the recipient.
As I think about gift giving this year, two things have become clear to me from the hours spent on social media:
- Most adults don’t want trinkets, because during the pandemic we finally took inventory of everything we own and it’s a lot. Do we really “need” anything ever? No.
- Coming out of lockdowns, we have embraced the power of travel and shared experiences more than ever before.
Keeping this in mind, I am kicking off my holiday season gift guide with the Hardcover Landscape Ultrathick Layflat Photobook with Classic Font* by Pinhole Press. A mouthful but only because its special.
This isn’t just any photo book.
No. It’s what I call the Mother of all photo books you may have encountered in the past.
*this is not a sponsored post, nor does it contain kickback links. These are my opinions based on products I have used and loved.
I love this photobook because:
- The finished product is just like your favorite coffee table book. It feels hefty in the hands and demands attention.
- The page layouts aren’t gimmicky with background designs, stickers, and all that kitschy stuff. Your pictures are the focus here and you can really get them big and grand like in magazines and art books.
- The ultrathick paper is no joke. I mean, really! Its gives the book that uber luxe quality.
- It isn’t where you dump all your photos. It’s more like a curation of the best moments put together for that special someone who wants nothing but deserves everything.
You might recall that we took a family vacation to Spain earlier this year when we visited Madrid and Barcelona. I was in a bookstores soon after, looking through the travel section when I realized that coffee table books are just elevated photobooks with better quality paper and good layouts. We all have smartphones that take great pictures, so why couldn’t I make my own coffee table book?
I went straight to Pinhole Press simply because I have used them for years for so many things and I know these guys (may be not personally but they’ve basically seen all my kids grow up via all the sticker books, photo gifts, and activity books I get from them). They have never disappointed me with their quality.
So even though I had only used their smaller photo books and board books until now, I was ready to gamble on their hardcover photo books for my coffee-table-book-concept.
I must say that it worked out better than I had imagined. The layouts were the biggest help in making sure everything looked uber slick and consistent. Some of my favorite layouts include: text-only which I used for the quote on the first page; the long-form text option to workout all my travel writer fantasies; and the picture stretched over two-pages. Sweetness!
I imagine a photo book like this one, curated with the best memories from 2022, bringing a lot of joy to the grandparents who might say no to many things but never to more pictures. Or your minimalist sibling who has enough of everything but not enough books. Or your spouse with whom you shared that beautiful adventure but perhaps it was a little rushed and now it could be savored through these pictures for years to come. Or your best friend who is in all of your selfies and knows that you are an Indian of a certain age who is trying very hard not to give an envelop of cash as a holiday gift. Or, last but not least, for yourself because you make the world go round but are too busy to sit and notice the awesome things you do, unless there is a coffee table photo book within easy reach documenting it all.
My final version of the Hardcover Landscape Ultrathick Layflat Photobook with ultra thick paper and 16 extra pages added to the original 20, cost $117 (without tax). So you know. it isn’t on the cheap side, but the quality is definitely worth every penny. Also, if you are good about following Pinhole Press on Instagram or via their e-newsletters, you can easily save 20% or more during their many specials.
All this to say that the Hardcover Landscape Ultrathick Layflat Photobook with Classic Font needs to be on your shopping list this year. [ Pinhole Press has now added a Hardcover Portrait Layflat Photobook as well which I plan to use for my October solo trip to Paris. ]
I hope that this was a helpful gift suggestion. I love to hear from you so please do leave a comment below (or email stayantibland@gmail.com) about this or any other gift idea you may have in mind to shake things up. Happy Giving everyone. Talk to you soon.
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